Revel in Reverie

The term "daydreaming" often carries with it a negative connotation. Occasionally, in class or at work, people get distracted and lost in their own thoughts. It is considered by many to be a waste of time, a vice akin to procrastination or avoidance.

This assumption is untrue. Daydreaming, in the same way as anything, can be harmful in excess, but it is not damaging in and of itself. In most cases, falling into reverie can be a delightful experience.

Many people use daydreaming as a coping mechanism. It is used in the same way as reading—as an escape. If someone has had a stressful day, they can combine daydreaming with meditation and picture themselves on a beach. In their mind, the waves lap the shore in a slow, rhythmic repetition; the sun rays wrap them in a warm, loving embrace. For a moment, they find sanctuary in another world; all of their problems are left in their reality. They can revel in reverie. This technique can be especially helpful for people with anxiety. During a panic attack, for example, the body enters fight-or-flight mode. Even though there is no real danger, something in their environment has been identified as an imminent threat. By retreating into the mind, they can remind their body that it is in a safe environment and not in a life-or-death situation.

Reverie doesn't necessarily have to be a hiding spot either, it can simply be a thrilling adventure into foreign realities, ones we couldn’t experience in real life. Many new worlds have guided me home. I’ve lived as a princess inside a gleaming, crystal palace. I’ve battled dragons and won wars. I’ve sung on a stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people. I’ve spent time with all the characters I love and lived through extensions of their stories. The best part is that I’m never truly alone. Anytime I feel lonely, I can close my eyes and be surrounded by the people I love. Anything I want to experience, I can. Some might ask why I would spend so much time on that; it’s not real. Well, neither is a movie nor a book, but we still enjoy those. The human imagination is powerful, and if you’re creative enough, a daydream can be as real to you as you want.

An avid daydreamer may also be able to learn to lucid dream. This phenomenon occurs during REM sleep when someone becomes aware that they are dreaming. While in this in-between state of consciousness, you gain the ability to control your dream. Once you achieve this state, all you have to do is imagine what you want to happen, and it will. You can then do the same things you can while daydreaming, only while asleep. I’ve flown through the sky, jumped over buildings (yes, essentially, I became Superman), and spoken to celebrities. I’ve lept through portals and danced with my comfort characters.

As someone who has experienced both daydreaming and lucid dreaming regularly, I wouldn’t say that one is better than the other; it all comes down to personal preference.

Lucid dreaming feels much more real than daydreaming; you can see, hear, touch, and feel, though it certainly takes practice. It took me a year to learn how to lucid dream, and even now, I’m still learning to master the skill. I’ve had many cases where I immediately woke up when I realized I was asleep, or I controlled my dreams for a while but then lost lucidity and drifted back into a normal dream. However, the times when it worked were like nothing I’ve ever experienced. While lucid dreaming does take more time, it is so worth it.

Daydreaming is far easier than lucid dreaming. During a daydream, you have nearly perfect control. Even though you can’t physically see what you’re imagining, you can guide your mind through whatever storyline you want. It has allowed me to do exactly what I want without fail.

Perhaps it is different inside a writer’s mind than in others, but in mine, I have complex storylines and characters. Reverie has been an amazing tool for me as a writer. I can see the world I’ve created and live through the story. In a way, my characters write themselves. I recently used a strange, albeit helpful technique to help me write my characters—I visualized an interview with each of them. Instead of trying to think of a good trait to add to the person, I talked to them, and they told me about themselves. I got to know the characters on a deeper level. For example, I recently had an interview with a character from my novel named Raisin. Now, Raisin is a bit of a troublemaker. She breaks every rule she can, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone. Up until the interview, I couldn’t figure out why. Raisin is an orphan, and her parents left her when she was 5 years old. In talking to her, I learned her deepest secret; she rebels constantly because deep down, she desperately needs someone to care enough to discipline her—to parent her.

Evidently, I didn’t really speak to Raisin. I came up with every detail she told me, but visualizing the interaction allowed me to access a part of my creative mind that I couldn’t before. It allowed me to see her as a complete, sentient human being, and I could picture exactly what she would say and do. The same can apply to plotting the novel. If I can’t think of where to take a chapter, I close my eyes and let my mind drift from scene to scene. My daydreams don’t always make it into the story, but they allow me to brainstorm my ideas much more vividly.

A lot of these things may sound “crazy” to some—living in your head, talking to no one. However, science has proven that having a powerful imagination and talking to yourself are both signs of a brilliant mind. Adult imaginary friends are less common than they are for children, but there are no downsides to having one, as long as the person knows that their friend isn’t real. There is only a concern if the person begins to truly see people and hear voices that aren’t real. So as long as you can separate fantasy from reality—and don't have a preexisting mental health condition—daydreaming is perfectly safe.

The colourful fields of reverie are my safe haven from the mundane, the painful, and the heartbreaking; I wouldn’t survive without them. Inside your mind, you are all-powerful. You can do anything: escape, meditate, adventure, write, etc. Your only limit is your own imagination, and if you try, you’ll soon learn that imagination is limitless.

Works Consulted:

Cirino, Erica. “Maladaptive Daydreaming.” Healthline, November 30, 2021. www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/maladaptive-daydreaming. (Date Accessed: May 04, 2022.)

Ferguson, Sian. “Can Excessive Daydreaming Be a Symptom of Mental Illness?” Healthline, October 28, 2019. www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/excessive-daydreaming-symptom-of-mental-illness#Maladaptive-daydreaming. (Date Accessed: May 04, 2022.)

Noruwa, Ruth. “Why Young People Are Self-Diagnosing With Maladaptive Daydreaming.” Her Culture. www.herculture.org/blog/2020/9/30/why-young-people-are-self-diagnosing-with-maladaptive-daydreaming. (Date Accessed: May 05, 2022.)

Nunez, Kirsten. “5 Lucid Dreaming Techniques to Try.” Healthline, January 05, 2022. www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/how-to-lucid-dream#cautions. (Date Accessed: May 05, 2022.”

Sherman, Jeremy. “Adults Have Imaginary Friends Too.” Psychology Today. November 11, 2013, www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/ambigamy/201311/adults-have-imaginary-friends-too. (Date Accessed: May 04, 2022.)

“What is Lucid Dreaming?” Deep Lucid Dreaming. deepluciddreaming.com/what-is-lucid-dreaming/. (Date Accessed: May 05, 2022.)